The answer is simple but trust me, most people get it wrong. Most will tell you that it's the client that pays the most or sends you the most business, but they are wrong. The correct answer is your business. Sounds crazy, right? Let me explain.

More often than not, we forget to put ourselves first. This is as true in business as it is in life. We get all caught up in the daily grind of emails pouring in and the call of social media alerts not to mention the actual work we're doing for our clients. Whether you are a small business owner, professional salesperson, or business executive, you are your own business. With only 24 hours in a day, managing a business and keeping clients happy is a delicate balance. Unfortunately, your own business is probably getting the short end of the stick. You're probably asking, "How could I possibly make time to put my business first?"

Regardless of your role is in the company you work for you are still your own business. In this generation of brand YOU, gone are the days where you work for one company throughout your whole career. As a result, you always need to be thinking of yourself as your own business. You need to make the time to build, brand, and market your business. Stop putting it off and start treating your business like one of your clients. And not just any client but a VIP no less. When you have this mentality, you'll get more done. It's easy to put things off when the only person waiting is you. You're not going to fire yourself, send angry emails, or even give a bad review. But in the end, you will hurt your business.

How often have you told yourself you really need some new business cards, or to grow your professional network or even a new website? Maybe you've even been considering starting a blog to share your thoughts and profile you and your businesses as thought leaders. Inevitably, these things manage to fall to the bottom of our to-do lists, when in fact they need to be at the top. Now, you don't necessarily need to do it all at once. Cchoose one project at a time and tackle it! Once you start clearing off that lingering to-do list, not only will you feel accomplished, your business will thank you for it.

Start with your business card

When thinking about a business card, what comes to mind? A 3.5x2" rectangle with a logo and some contact information. Just something to hand out at networking events or to place in little plastic containers at your local restaurant for free draws. The truth is, if your business cards fit perfectly into the typical mold they'll probably end up being tossed in the garbage.

I'm always surprised how many people don't bother to put an effort into creating something different. Most people think they can get something for free online or something quick from the local quickie print and those cards will work just fine. They're wrong. I have experienced the difference. You could be missing out on a powerful marketing tool that can change a card exchange into a conversation about your business and possibly a new client.

I use a business card from Inspire Card. The card is a simple yet very powerful marketing platform designed to help you retain your customers while drawing new customers from a community of non-competing businesses. It is a reward card and a business card in one. It's great because it automatically collects customers' or prospects' information and doubles as a savings card for them so they keep it in their wallets. It has been such a hit with my clients and prospects that they spread the word about my company for me to others they meet. It really has simplified the referral process for me because, my prospects feel rewarded for working with me and want to share that with others.

The result is a business card that makes people stop and take a second look. In the end, the important thing to remember is your business card can make or break the first impression you give to a potential client. I encourage you to rethink your business cards and try something new. You'll be surprised how easy it is to talk to someone that is already impressed.

Optimize and leverage your LinkedIn profile

Whether you're in sales or looking for a new career or even advancing your current career, your LinkedIn profile is a huge part of your personal brand. Most people have a profile on LinkedIn but again, most people don't know what to do once they get set up, either because they're overwhelmed with all the options or simply don't have the time. You not only need to set up your profile, you need to start joining groups and getting involved in the discussion. Check out this blog post on "How to Generate Leads with LinkedIn" to learn effective and time efficient action steps that can help you build your reputation.

Promotion that stands out

We've all gone to the mailbox and pulled out a stack of junk email, or checked your email, sorted through it, and tossed or deleted anything that did not immediately spark our interest. If you threw together a postcard or email "just so you have something", stop wasting your time and invest it into creating something that doesn't end up in the garbage.

Postcards and emails are a great way to reach a large audience and share information about your businesses. I am not talking about any old postcard or email. You need to think outside the box and create something different. You need to segment your audience into different profiles that match each type of person you sell or market to. This will help you understand the client you are talking to, and develop a message that resonates with them specifically.

You also need to remember that it's not all about the design. It's important to make sure your message is clear. A postcard or an email has less than a few seconds to grab the attention of the recipient. They should be able to tell what problem you will solve for them without having to think about it. Make sure your headline or subject line is easy to read, your offer jumps off the page, and your contact information is easy to find.

When you're designing a postcard or email, keep in mind that potential clients are always impressed when they receive something they haven't seen before. Many businesses don't put enough effort into creating a promotional piece that doesn't fit the mold. You'll increase your chances of turning the prospect into a client.

There are a few basic rules you need to take into account:

• Keep it clean. You don't need to list every service you have. Really. Don't do it.
• Include an offer and make sure it's worth something. A 10% offer won't get people to call. Instead, try an offer of free content or guides that address the problem you solve for them.
• Include a call to action but avoid the obvious, like "Call today!"
• Make sure your design fits postal requirements or CAN-SPAM laws.

Another important rule of thumb - make your website a focal point of your promotions. Most people are more likely to check your website before they call you. There are several reasons for this, but mainly to make sure you are who you say you are.

Some dos and don'ts when designing your website

I'm sure you know a website is an important part of your business, but do you have one that answers your prospects questions about what problems you can solve for them? Let's talk about some things you can do right now to improve your website and get more clients.

Once you start thinking about the design, remember to keep it simple and don't pack your website full of animated graphics, flash, pop-ups, and scrolling text. It's annoying, and people will leave. If you want to make your website more aesthetically pleasing, remember less is more. You want visitors to come to your site for its content, not the flashy graphics.

Some Rules to live by:

• Include links to share your content via social media. Retweets and "likes" will lead to more traffic for your website.
• Make the navigation clear and easy to find. If visitors can't find it, they will leave.
• Keep your design consistent. Your business cards, postcards, emails and other promotional materials should all have the same look and feel. Do that and you have just started branding your business.
• Make it easy to contact you. Whether it's a contact us form, newsletter signup, email, or phone number, make sure they can find it.

Things to avoid:

• Skip the splash page. No one likes going to a site and having to watch a 30 second Flash movie that has nothing to do what they are looking for - no matter how cool you think it is (especially not good for your Google rankings).
• Stay away from busy backgrounds and try to keep the body copy on white. There's reasons books aren't printed on coloured paper; it's hard to read.
• Turn off the music - no one likes it.
• Pop-ups are evil. Potential clients are already on your website, Wwhy would you want to interrupt them and aggravate them?
• YELLING! Typing in all caps is fine for headlines but please don't yell at your visitors; they didn't do it.

There you have it - a short list of do's and don'ts that can help you make your little piece of the Web more inviting. Of course, I could go on, but these basic tips are a great start in creating a website that actually helps your business.

Pulling it all together

Now that you have your business cards, LinkedIn profile, postcards, emails, and your website ready to work for you, it's important to know how to use them together to bring in new business. Let's start with your website. Now that it's looking great, you need to have some interesting content. Having a blog is arguably one of the most important assets to your website. It's a way for you to share what's happening with your business and will help you build a following. You should write to your blog as often as possible. Just be sure to write about things relevant to you or your business. When you work on a cool new project, write about it. If your dog falls asleep in your bed with a kitten - don't write about it. Write about things that will be of interest to your prospects. Write about the problems that you solve for your clients.

If you're having doubts about your writing abilities or think you won't have enough to write about, don't worry, that will all change. Once you get started, you'll find it comes much easier - thoughts will start to flow out of you. And if you're anything like me, once you start writing about a recent project or problem you are solving, you'll think of things you would have done or could do differently and you can try them on the next project.

We all have something to say that is interesting or relates to a specific topic. People will listen; maybe they'll even share your ideas with others. This is where your business or career will benefit.

Putting your postcard and emails to work

If you're using your postcards as a mailer, there are four things you need to consider: postal requirements, postage class, size, and especially that total cost of the mailing. In order for the mailer to be effective, you can't just send it once. It takes repetition. Just think about how many times you see an ad run on TV, or how often you look up at the ugly billboard on your ride to work. You should plan on sending your message at least 4 times to the same list before you move one. This is where email and direct mail can work very well together:

• Send your postcard as the 1^st touch
• 8 days later (allowing time to be delivered and reach the desk of your prospect) send them an email message.
• Then at the same time mail a 2^nd postcard with a reminder message on it.
• After another 8 days email the reminder message.

These four steps are the most effective way to get your message in front of your prospects.

Another important aspect of direct mail or email is targeting. If you're mailing to people that aren't interested in what you offer, it's a wasted effort. The important thing is to find your niche and claim it. Sure you can claim to be the complete solution to everyone's problems, but often that is not possible and results in more wasted efforts. Instead, if you're great at something specific, be the expert they're looking for and target the specific market. You will get greater return on your efforts and your business will grow much faster.

A unique way to promote your business

Now that you understand the importance of blogging and have a strategy for your mail campaigns to a targeted audience, what's next? You need to let people know who you are and what you can do for them. To do this, I challenge you to forget what you think you know and try something bold - give your services away for free.

Free samples are nothing new. You get them at the grocery store and in the mail. Software companies do it all the time but they call it a "trial". Now it's your turn. By offering a taste of your services for free, you can reap big benefits. I am not saying you should start doing all your jobs for free, but by selectively offering your services or expertise, you immediately create an interest in your business. Once you start driving people to your website and give them a chance to look at what you can do, you will be surprised by the amount of new business you get.

By taking these basic steps, you'll improve the effectiveness of your marketing and you'll have all the tools you need to build your business. So get out there and start promoting. Always remember to make time for your business, because you're most important client is you.